Epilepsy and Anesthesia?

Topic:

Hello ladies! Have any of you with epilepsy had any type of surgery where you had to be put under general anesthesia???
I am scheduled to have surgery on September 15th and I am very worried about being put under. Both my plastic surgeon and my neuro. say I "should" be fine, but i'm worried. My seizures have ALWAYS occured right after waking up in the morning so I worry about waking up from the deep sleep of anesthesia. I also have switched meds about two months ago and had a seizure last week, had bloodwork done yesterday to test levels. If there is anyone out there that can shed light on this worry for me....please do!!
Kristin

Comments

There are several members of my family who are alergic to anesthesia. Because of this they use propaphol (mis-spelled). There are several types of anesthesia. Some are gas and some are IV. With the IV anesthesia my family wakes up clearer and quicker. Ask your anesthesiologist what type you are getting and if it is known to react with seizures.

Also, they monitor my daughters oxygen and temp the whole time and pay special attention to her respiration.

Kristin,
Anesthesia is a definite trigger for seizures with me. I always arrange for someone to stay with me two or three days afterwards. With you not knowing for sure how it will affect you, I suggest making arrangements as though you having seizures afterwards is definite. You can always send them home if you prove to be fine. But, for safety's sake, have someone stay with you at least 1 day til you can have a better idea of how you are doing. Good Luck!

I have had two kinds of seizures for years, simple partial and complex partial. I take tegretol and it works. I underwent three operations with anesthesia. I am about to undergo a cosmetic operation and feel cofident, since I had no complcations with seizures the three times. I came to the site to find answers to my concern about this same thing. I've just began to read others stories, but come back to trusting my own body and feel cofident since I've been through the three, and since my seizures have not gotten worse. I'm over 50. Now, since I brought this up to the surgeon, they may be putting me on hold, since they would prefere 'clearance' from a Doctor. If I have to go back to a neroligist, I just found my old one from years ago in Houston. That's who I would pick.

Oh, I will have a nurse with me for 24 hours afterward.

My guess for you is only to beware, since you have just changed medicine. It seems you might want to be confident in that first. Good luck.